Getting Extraterrestrial With Templo’s Space Trash EP

Nothing sounds quite like unreleased music. But receiving unreleased tracks from the new EP “Space Trash” from Templo takes it to new heights. Straight extraterrestrial. With friends like mine, shoutout to Jaci, I found myself at 10 in the morning, before work, sitting down to a cast of the newest Templo. “This playlist is private” and a lock are displayed on the screen. Pinch me. I wrote about Templo a few months ago, an emerging “local Denver producer”, after seeing him live during my first visit to Black Box. A spot that still somehow hides under a black veil in plain sight and the most downtown of locations.

The 4 title track list starts off right with the trip- hop sound that Templo is perfecting. ‘Homoki’ drops sample after sample along with the kitchen sink. It get crunchy after a wind up that sounds reminiscent of Space Jesus; another prime example of a producer creating this new kind of “lawless” music that is emerging. It really slam dances all over traditional music theory. I’m not 100% sure about the titles until the next song starts. ‘Yahmon’ is not another language, but more of a slimy slur than anything, yeaaaaa mannnnn. It reminds me of PantyRaid’s ‘Get The Money’ and 5 minutes into the EP, still before noon, I’m already doing a slow motion running man in my living room. My roommates have gotten used to this by now.

‘I Need You’ starts with a bit of nature sounds, water dripping….. abruptly interrupted with the sounds of cars honking, starting, crashing into each other. Must be that damn space traffic. It’s a bit of a slower song, but I could use the break after that running man. Still the sound of space battles rings off and I begin to wonder if he’ll be at Sonic Bloom. The first round of artists looks sick, and you guys know I won’t miss it. I haven’t stopped dreaming of a Yheti collab since seeing Templo for the first time; and this Bloom is the place where we live in dreams awake. The song drops off and the last track comes too quickly. It’s more upbeat and I can hear the vinyl moving around on the table, rewinding slowly. Each sample is left to be heard a bit more clearly while the underlying bass still blows you away.

Eventually the drum trails off a few slow beats and the EP concludes in all its grimy glory. Some people like the new elevated seating areas of the Fillmore, some people like black boxes filled with space trash. I guess since I’m here to give my professional opinion, I can truthfully say, I prefer the latter. Bring on the aliens.